How to Win the Nobel Peace Prize

This year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union for its work in bringing peace to a continent that was the center of two world wars. The award recognized the work of the Union that has former enemies living in peace... relative peace.

I don't want to appear cynical because I really am impressed that this continent hasn't been the center of a world war for over 60 years. I am also impressed on how it successfully created peace between its member state Turkey and Cyprus (okay it hasn't done that yet). Also don't forget how the European Union stepped in to help the former Yugoslavia Republic peaceably divide into new independent countries (I guess it didn't do that either). But it has managed to prevent itself from imploding during the financial crisis of the past few years. 

In fact, the real reason they were awarded this prize is to help manipulate the EU into maintaining peace during their crisis. As the award was announced the Chairman of the committee said, 

"This year we saw that the prize could be important in giving a message to the European public of how important it is to secure what they have achieved on this continent."

In other words, "We gave you this award so that you will behave". 

The pattern of giving the award to will some sort of outcome is the new pattern of this committee. Remember that Barak Obama won the award in 2009 for the work he did in.... um... well that is not the point. 

At least the award made sense when Al Gore received it in 2007 because he said, "The world is getting warmer and ice is melting". 

A little more reasonable is giving of the award to the United Nations in 2001 for their work in "creating a more peaceful world". My history is fuzzy but I guess 2001 was a year we saw the UN create peace across the globe... except in Palestine, India, Congo, Sierra Lione, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Angola, Odessia, Somalia, Liberia, Nepal, Serbia, and Chad. 

The award is now simply a symbol of what we hope will be done rather than an award for what has been done. It weakens the award and dimishes the real recipients such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. 

If the award is for what we hope for perhaps we can give it to Iranian President Ahmadinejad

or North Korea's Kim Jong-il in hopes that they will not do something stupid in the future.

Maybe we can give to Obama again in hopes that he will actually bring America together 

instead of pushing us apart. With this new criteria of awarding possibility and not results, the 

sky's the limit!